Airport
Belgrade Airport its airport code:BEG. The airport is located 19 km west of Belgrade, near Surcin. It is connected with Belgrade by the Belgrade-Zagreb highway. Airport facilities include banks (0600-1800), bars, car hire and post offices.

Visas
Most visitors to Serbia will need a visa; for most nationalities the visa is free. Visas are not available at the border and you must get one in advance from a Yugoslav consulate.

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Currency
The official unit is Yugoslav dinar, but EURO will do as well (official exchange rate is 1 EUR=60,9 DIN).
The official currency in Serbia is the New Yugoslav Dinar. New Yugoslav Dinar (YUM) = 100 paras. Notes are in denominations of YUM5000, 1000, 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of YUM5, 2 and 1 and 50 paras.
The official currency in Montenegro is the Euro. Euro (€) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Credit Cards
Visa, Mastercard and Amex are usually accepted.

Tipping
Tip 5%-10% in restaurants (in addition to the service charge), and tip taxi drivers 10%.

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Useful Numbers
Area code for Belgrade 011.
Country code for Serbia is 381
Outgoing international code: 99.
Police - 92
International calls - 901
Military Emergency - 976
Information Center - 985

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.

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Health Risks
Mains water is normally chlorinated, and whilst relatively safe may cause mild abdominal upsets. Bottled water is available and is advised for the first few weeks of the stay. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are generally considered safe to eat.
Hepatitis A may occur. Tularaemia has been reported recently in the Kosovo area and travellers are advised to boil all water and be cautious about food preparation. Crimean congo haemorrhagic fever is endemic in Kosovo. Tick-borne encephalitis and typhus occur.

Time Zone
GMT/UTC +1 hour, (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

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Business Hours
Banks and post offices:- working days 08.00-19.00
          - Saturdays 08.00-15.00
          - Sundays only those on duty
Groceries: - working days 06.30-20.00 (some also until 21.00)
          - Saturdays 06.30-18.00 (some also until 21.00)
          - Sundays 07.00-11.00 (some also until 13.00)
Markets- every day 06.00-17.00
Shops in shopping malls- working days 09.00-20.00
Department stores:- working days 08.00-20.00
          - Saturdays 08.00-15.00
          - Sundays closed

Holidays
2008
1-2 Jan New Year's Day.
7 Jan Orthodox Christmas Day.
27 Jan* St Sava's Day.
15 Feb Constitution Day.
25 Apr Orthodox Good Friday.
28 Apr Orthodox Easter Monday.
1-2 May Labour Days.
9 May* Victory Day.
28 Jun* St Vitus' Day.

2009
1-2 Jan New Year's Day.
7 Jan Orthodox Christmas Day.
27 Jan* St Sava's Day.
15 Feb Constitution Day.
17 Apr Orthodox Good Friday.
20 Apr Orthodox Easter Monday.
1-2 May Labour Days.
9 May* Victory Day.
28 Jun* St Vitus' Day.

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Climate
Belgrade has a moderate continental climate with an average daily temperature of 11.40C. , with four seasons. Autumn is longer than spring, with longer sunny and warm periods - the so-called Indian summer. Winter is not so severe, with an average of 21 days with temperature below zero. January is the coldest month, with average temperature of 0.40C. Spring is short and rainy. Summer arrives abruptly.

Clothing
Winter: Mediumweight clothing and heavy overcoat. Summer: Lightweight clothing and raincoat required.
The standard of dress is similar to Western Europe. A conservative suit and tie is appropriate for meetings. For less formal occasions, men might wear slacks, a jacket, and a shirt without a tie, especially in the summer. Winters are cold, requiring a heavy topcoat. A well-groomed and well-dressed individual will be noticed; Yugoslavs are a proud, upwardly mobile people, and appearances prove important. Businesswomen should wear a conservative dress in a dark or subdued color. Eastern Europeans usually do not wear bright colors.

GDP Growth Rate
3.5%

Inflation
48%

Imports
machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants, manufactured goods, chemicals, food and live animals, raw materials

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Exports
manufactured goods, food and live animals, raw materials

Trading Partners
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Russia

Industries
Machine building, metallurgy, mining, consumer goods, electronics, petroleum products, chemicals, and pharmaceutical

Teledensity
22.9 Main telephone lines per 100 inhabitants

Government
Republic

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Geography
Belgrade (Beograd) is the capital of Serbia having about 2 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of Europe, in the Balkan Peninsula, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and since ancient times it has been an important traffic focal point, an intersection of the roads of Eastern and Western Europe.
Belgrade is the capital of Serbian culture, education, science and economy. As a result of its tumultuous history, many nations live in Belgrade for centuries, and the majority of the population make Serbs (86%) of Orthodox persuasion.

Population
Serbia & Montenegro: 8.3 million
Belgrade: 1.6 million

Ethnic Groups
Serb 63%, Albanian 14%, Montenegrin 6%, Hungarian 3%, Croatian, Romano, Magyar

Languages
The official language is Serbian, which uses the Cyrillic script. Albanian and Hungarian are also spoken in the autonomous regions of Kosovo and Vojvodina respectively.

Literacy
93%

Religion
Serbian Orthodox, Islam, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism